Cosplay is becoming more and more popular around the world and at conventions. I’ve personally found a lot of joy and personal confidence doing cosplay at conventions, and the number one reason I started was as an activity with my son. After seeing a great panel about Cosplay Families at Rose City Comic Con a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to parents and families who cosplay and spotlight them here on GeekDad!

Cosplay Family Spotlight is a new recurring segment where I interview and spotlight a cosplay family. This week, I interview Beverly, Brett, Zoe, and Zack Downen of Downen Creative Studios. Interested in participating? Leave a comment here or reach out to me on twitter @billythebrick.

Beverly as Queen Ravenna from ‘The Hunstman: Winter’s War.’ Costume by Beverly, Photo by Brett. Brett as Briareos from ‘Appleseed.’ Costume by Beverly, Photo by Cosplay Boom. Zoe as Arno Dorian from ‘Assassin’s Creed.’ Costume by Zoe, Photo by Brett. Zack as Immortan Joe (Junior) from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’ Costume by Beverly, Photo by Brett.

Favorite group cosplay: Characters from the Japanese Manga Appleseed. Zoe best identifies with strong female lead characters and Appleseed is all about Deunan Knute, a badass soldier in the human rebellion against the humanoids. Brett was the only one big enough to wear Briareos, the war-damaged android repaired protector of Deunan (yes, Dad didn’t mind the symbolism one bit). Beverly was Athena, another important political figure and lead character, and Zack was Hades, a soldier with great disdain for humanoids like Briareos. Dad wasn’t so sure he liked that symbolism as much!

Beverly: Briareos. This was the first resin cast I ever attempted. In hindsight, the helmet has complicated shapes and is a beautifully rendered CG object. It was probably a greater challenge than originally anticipated. This required weeks of sanding the mold to perfect the shapes and smooth, metallic texture. It became a brutal test of wills at times. In the end, now, it is a beautifully shaped resin cast that is always a huge hit at cons, especially for those who know Appleseed. It’s like the Briareos costume calls out to them from across the hall, and they come running from wherever they are to get a picture with the near-screen replica.

Brett: Briareos. The helmet is the heaviest, thickest helmet so far and at one time lacked proper ventilation. It was like wearing a helmet sized sauna all day long. Beverly is an amazing designer, though, and not only installed useful and stealthy ventilation slats, there are now two electric fans installed that actually circulate and vent out the hot air. The first times I wore it, though, it was maybe ten minutes at a time before the heat and sweat were too overwhelming.

Zoe: Arno Dorian from Assassin’s Creed. Arno was her first 99.9% self-made costume, and just like anything you attempt the first time, there were many opportunities for learning along the way. Still, with the stumbling blocks and minor setbacks, Arno is a beautifully made costume that fits Zoe perfectly, and she made it all by herself. OK, Beverly was a fantastic coach along the way too and masterfully guided Zoe as needed.

Zack: Balin from The Hobbit. While the costume itself fit great and was super comfortable (Balin wears soft, cotton clothing and a long coat), Balin is also the oldest dwarf in the book. This translates into long white hair and an equally long beard. Zack did NOT like the itchy beard and hair for more than a few minutes at a time. He was a heck of a trooper at the con and wore it as long as he could, but we could tell he was done after an hour or so and the hair and beard had to disappear. It was a great lesson for us, though–young people have their own schedules when it comes to cosplay, and when they are done, respect that they are done and move on.

Brett: Digital imaging! Brett is the photographer nerd of the group and spends as much time photographing cosplay as participating. Otherwise, resin casting is pretty fun and familiar due to his need to repair his own surfboards in similar fashion!

Zoe: Sewing. Right now sewing is the skill she’s focusing on but is also an excellent finish applicator and enjoys a good brushing of wood glue over armor from time to time.

Zack: Zack mostly works in sketching out ideas and loves to brainstorm with Beverly when it comes to creating the Goodwill shopping list of oddities and costume parts.

I would greatly love to make a living making really cool stuff, but because of that freelance experience I am not currently willing to be without a steady paycheck. However, I will make changes wherever I can to make small steps toward that goal. I am an MRI technologist by day, and I’ve recently arranged my schedule to be more flexible to allow for weekend conventions, which is working out really well so far! It’s always a challenge to balance work, family, and other interests, but I’m incredibly lucky to have support from my family. They tolerate me!

Brett: Studio and convention photography. Photography is Brett’s first creative outlet, and he really enjoys the wonderful photographic opportunities cosplay provides both at the cons and in his home studio.

Zoe: The most avid reader of the family, she never stops reading. She mostly reads fantasy series and, not surprisingly, is drawn to strong lead female characters. She is also writing a book of her very own. Maybe one day she will let us read it!

Zack: The gamer of the crew. He’s known to work on his Minecraft universe for hours, has created beautiful glass houses with cascading water falls, and even built a ten story high volleyball game with two teams, a ref, a net, and a volleyball in flight.

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